


night highs

by sarcasticfluentry



Series: The Boundless Saga [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: A lot of kissing again, Alcohol, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crying, First Dates, Insecure Magnus Bane, Kissing, M/M, Riding, Wall Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-04 19:03:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6671149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarcasticfluentry/pseuds/sarcasticfluentry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Book of the White turns out to be encrypted, so they're unable to immediately wake Jocelyn up. Magnus returns home to his loft feeling defeated and wonders where he stands with Alec.</p>
            </blockquote>





	night highs

**Author's Note:**

> This is sad at the beginning because Magnus is sad but then it gets really fluffy and then it gets really smutty. I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Title is from "WILD" by Troye Sivan, and my tumblr is [povverbottoms](http://povverbottoms.tumblr.com).
> 
> NOTE: This is part of the Boundless Saga altered-canon verse; Magnus and Alec have already had sex once before Alec's wedding, Jace doesn't go with Valentine, and Jocelyn isn't woken up right away. It's set several days after my fic "pro bono" and before any of the other fics in the series. Em (Teumessian on ao3/ spanglepup on tumblr) and I have a couple more fics in this verse planned for you guys and I'm very, very excited to see where we take it!

Magnus steps inside his loft and slams the front door with a burst of magic, flicking his hair out of his face before walking into his kitchen. He fills a crystal tumbler to the brim with his favorite whiskey, trying to ignore the burning behind his eyes.

“I got you that bottle for your two hundredth birthday, you know.”

Magnus turns around and can’t help but smile at the presence of Ragnor in his loft. It may be the first time he’s smiled all day.

“I remember. That’s why I reached for it,” he says, raising his glass to the other warlock in a toast before taking a generous gulp.

Ragnor raises an eyebrow. “Rough day, my friend?”

“Like you don’t know,” Magnus snorts. “You’re in my head.”

He strolls into the living room and flops onto one of the couches, summoning the bottle of whiskey to the coffee table in case he needs a refill. Ragnor follows him, looking curious, and asks, “Am I?”

“Ugh, I have no idea,” Magnus admits. “No one ever explained to me how this worked.”

“Me neither, I’m afraid,” says Ragnor, sitting gingerly down on one of Magnus’ armchairs as Magnus takes another gulp of whiskey. “But I still haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re moping about, so why don’t you start from the beginning.”

Keeping a strict ratio of one sip of whiskey for every five sentences spoken, Magnus tells him everything. Ragnor knows about the wedding - hell, he’s a large part of the reason Magnus crashed it - so he starts after that, not interested in reliving that happy moment with Alec now that the shadowhunter has made it perfectly clear he doesn’t want to see him. He tells Ragnor why the Book of the White was required, how he discovered it was in Camille’s possession, how the shadowhunters and their pet vampire freed Camille from the Hotel DuMort, how Isabelle decided it would be a good idea to give Alexander a front-row seat to Magnus and Camille’s wretched reunion.

“Ah, so she’s not changed since I last saw her,” Ragnor remarks.

“Nope, still likes to play with people’s hearts like toys,” says Magnus, refilling his tumbler. “And I’m not even finished yet.”

He tells Ragnor about how Hodge Starkweather betrayed the Institute and delivered the Mortal Cup straight into Valentine Morgenstern’s hands, about how Valentine had nearly convinced Alec’s adopted brother to join him in his quest for world domination, about how it had taken a long, exhausting fight to drive Valentine and his bastard Shadowhunters away and escape with their lives, only to discover that Jocelyn Fray had encrypted the Book of the White using an as-yet-undiscovered cipher.

“So you still haven’t woken her?” Ragnor asks.

Magnus shakes his head. “We’re a step closer, but I can’t even _begin_ to describe how helpless I felt opening that book and discovering that it was all encoded. We let Camille loose and almost got killed by that crazy dictator just to get a book that might as well be in gibberish.”

“Well, that’s not your fault,” says Ragnor, uncrossing his legs and then crossing them the opposite direction.

“Maybe not,” Magnus sighs, “but once their pet warlock reached an impasse, the shadowhunters basically dismissed me.” He snorts and throws back the rest of what’s in his glass. “Imagine that! The nerve of those children. I’ve been alive since-”

“Since the Dead Sea was a poorly lake, I know, darling,” Ragnor soothes him. “Surely Alec stuck up for you.”

Magnus clenches his jaw as he pours himself more whiskey. He has a fairly high tolerance, but even _he’s_ starting to feel the effects of this much alcohol. Good. “No, Alexander seemed to think it was best if I went home.” Ragnor looks appalled. “I _told_ you, Camille got under his skin. If kissing me like a leech wasn’t bad enough, she had to go and remind him that he’s mortal and I’m not. That really…” he swallows, “that really got to him, I think. I saw it, on his face.”

“He’s quite young, though, isn’t he?” asks Ragnor.

“I’m not cradle-robbing,” Magnus snaps.

Ragnor laughs. “Of course not, old friend, I’m merely observing that he shouldn’t even be _thinking_ about his mortality at this point. He has the majority of his life left to live.”

Magnus rubs at his temples. “Plus, with the Cup in Valentine’s hands, all of us could die at any moment. Mortality doesn’t even mean anything right now.”

“Right, so just tell him that,” says Ragnor.

“He told me it was best if I _go,”_ Magnus hisses. “I wasn’t going to follow that up with, ‘What’s the problem, babe? We might all die tomorrow anyway.’”

Ragnor nods contemplatively. “Perhaps he just needs some time.”

“Mhmm,” Magnus sighs. He refills his tumbler and relaxes against the back of the couch, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He thinks about the look on Alec’s face, remembers the way his jaw clenched and his eyes hardened, like he’d already made up his mind. Like he’d already given up on them.

Very suddenly, Magnus is fighting back tears.

“Why does this keep happening to me?” he asks, blinking his eyes open.

Ragnor is gone.

Maybe it’s because Magnus has had too much to drink, maybe it’s because Ragnor had… somewhere else to be? Magnus isn’t sure how this works, but it’s a terrible, ill-timed reminder of the fact that Ragnor isn’t actually alive anymore.

A few tears slip down his cheeks and he hastily takes another gulp of whiskey.

Maybe Ragnor’s right, maybe Alec just needs time. But this situation - Magnus falling for someone who’s mortal - is not a novel one, and it almost always ends with people deciding he’s not worth the time they _do_ have. That’s probably why he’d been so besotted with Camille, because his immortality hadn’t been an issue.

But she’d left him anyway, just like everyone else.

Maybe _Magnus_ is the problem.

His thoughts are jumbled, tears still blurring his vision as he reclines on the soft couch and swallows more whiskey. What’s wrong with him? Why does nobody look at him and think, _I want to stay with him. I want to stay with him for as long as I can._

_I choose him._

That’s how Magnus feels about Alec.

He sniffles and feels alcohol burn the back of his throat. He thought that what happened at the wedding was just that - Alec _choosing_ him. And it was, in a way - but Magnus realizes now it was more of a, a statement than anything. Alec choosing freedom, Alec choosing to come out and stop living a lie.

Not that he minds, nor can he blame the younger man. Alec’s young and he deserves to be happy. If this is all he gets, Magnus is still pathetically ecstatic to have been a means to an end. He inspired Alec to come out and gave him one hell of a first time, if he does say so himself.

He thinks about how Alec had looked at him just hours earlier, once it had become apparent that Jocelyn wasn’t going to be woken up quite so easily. How Alec had swallowed heavily, his eyes anywhere but Magnus’ face, mind apparently stuck on his own mortality, Magnus’ lips on Camille’s. _“Maybe you should go.”_

Somewhere in the midst of his next glass of whiskey, Magnus starts actually crying. He tries to summon his favorite ruby red quilt to the couch so he can snuggle under it but he’s so intoxicated he manages to upholster the couch with its fabric instead. What if he _is_ the problem? What if he’s not worth any amount of time, finite or not?

He knows he’s drunk, but this is an issue that’s been plaguing his thoughts since Camille broke his heart over a century ago. Alec’s proven to be an expert at unknowingly digging up and exposing Magnus’ insecurities.

He looks at his nails, painted a dark navy blue, and wonders how Alec feels about them.

Magnus can be a bit _much_ for some people, he knows - while he’ll never be ashamed of how he chooses to present himself, he can’t help but think that maybe _Alec_ is ashamed of him. Maybe Alec wants a first boyfriend who won’t overwhelm him, who will fit right in with his uptight culture. Someone who’s low-maintenance… gods know Magnus isn’t.

Tears drip onto his tunic and he loses track of time for a little while, ruminating into a deeper and deeper spiral of self-loathing. That is, until his doorbell rings.

Magnus’ brain sluggishly registers the sound and he glances at the clock. It’s just past midnight.

“Who is it?” he calls, doing magic that (hopefully) will cause his voice to blare out of the intercom on the street.

There’s a pause, during which Magnus’ eyes flick to the decanter of whiskey and he’s staggered to see that he’s consumed it _all,_ and then a voice crackles over the intercom. “It’s Alec.”

Magnus shoots off the couch in a panic, lurching a little as his head spins. Christ, he hasn’t been this drunk since last New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong. He stumbles over to the intercom and presses _Talk._ “Why?”

“Um. What?”

“Why are you here? Did you - crack the code? Need my help?” Magnus thinks those are full phrases, hopefully. He had to work very hard to drag each word up from the depths of his alcohol-soaked brain.

“No, that’s not why I’m here,” Alec says. “Look, I - can we talk? I came here to talk to you.”

Shit. Magnus is in _no_ state to talk. He doesn’t even have time to dwell on his insecurities at this point - he’s just fixated on getting all of the alcohol out of his system so Alec doesn’t turn right back around.

“I’m going to - let you up, and just - make yourself at home, I just need to run to the bathroom. For a minute.”

He doesn’t wait for Alec’s response, just buzzes him up and dashes to the bathroom as the room starts to spin. After he’s locked the door and cast a hasty soundproofing spell, he turns around and nearly shrieks when he sees Ragnor standing there.

“Your reaction time is abysmal,” says Ragnor.

“I finished your whiskey,” Magnus slurs, giggling loudly when Ragnor’s face contorts in horror. “But I need to - get it out. Alexander is here.”

“Alec’s _here?”_ Ragnor hisses. “My god, man, get yourself in order!”

“Sorry I’m wasting it,” Magnus mumbles as he kneels down in front of the toilet. “Your whiskey.”

Ragnor snorts. “It’ll be a miracle if you can even do the spell, the state you’re in.”

 _Ha._ Magnus will - he’ll show him.

He mutters several phrases in Latin, hoping he’s enunciating enough, then places his hands on his stomach and pushes up and in.

It works almost immediately - Magnus has _maybe_ a second to _think_ about gloating to Ragnor before he has to lean over the toilet as he starts retching up pure ethanol. It’s a rough time, given that this particular spell calls all of the alcohol in the bloodstream back into the stomach and then forces it out of the body, but it’s brutally efficient. After only several miserable heaves, Magnus leans back up and snaps his fingers to get rid of the dreadful hangover the spell left behind.

“I stand corrected,” Ragnor says, a smile on his face. Magnus is surprised but pleased he’s still here. “Brush your teeth, though, you smell like a distillery.”

“On it,” Magnus chirps.

While he’s putting on a bit of a front and hoping that fake confidence will lend him the real version, he really _does_ feel a lot better about himself after getting all that alcohol out of his system. He’s not sure what Alec is going to say, but he chooses to think it’s a good sign that the younger man came here at all.

After he’s brushed his teeth, he quickly fixes his eye makeup and snaps on a new tunic, this one an iridescent forest green. He debates removing his nail polish, but decides to leave it on.

Magnus casts one last general cleaning spell that sweeps over his entire loft, then takes a deep breath and opens the bathroom door, Ragnor vanishing as he does so.

“So, Alexander, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

Alec is standing with his arms crossed, leaning against Magnus’ kitchen island. He frowns a little at Magnus’ words. “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” asks Magnus.

“You act like - you’re, like, putting on this front like nothing bothers you,” Alec says, waving his hand vaguely at Magnus’ form. “And I know stuff _does_ bother you, so it makes it really hard to tell when you’re actually upset.”

Magnus cocks his hip. “Intrigue is part of my arsenal of charms, Alexander.”

“Oh my god, would you _stop_ it?” Alec snaps. His eyes are hard and Magnus feels like he’s been slapped. “I walked in on you kissing Camille, we didn’t resolve _anything_ about the fact that I’m going to get old and _die,_ and I straight-up asked you to _leave_ the Institute - and you’re acting like you don’t care about any of it! So just - please just tell me right now if everything that happened today doesn’t bother you, because my stomach physically _hurts_ when I think about you and I need to, I need to work on making it go away if you don’t feel the same.”

He falls silent, doe eyes wide and clearly upset. Magnus is speechless for several seconds.

Eventually, though, he finds his voice. “Alec, the reason I put up walls like this is so other beings don’t see me as vulnerable.” Alec opens his mouth to say something, but Magnus keeps going. “But - it’s a habit. It’s not something I do entirely consciously, anymore, because without my _laissez-faire_ I’m an open book. But you have to - you _need_ to know that I care very deeply. About things in general, and also about you. To excess, more often than not.”

“Okay, but me knowing it and me seeing it are two different things,” says Alec. “Like - and this is my fault - I’m not a complete idiot, but sometimes I need stuff spelled out for me. And when you act - when you act, I don’t know, like it’s just another day in the life after I walk in on you _kissing_ your ex, you _have_ to know that hurts.” He takes a breath. “Jesus, coming here was a stupid idea. I don’t know why I - listen, I’m gonna just-”

“Alec,” Magnus interrupts him, taking several desperate steps forward so he can cling to the elbow of Alec’s jacket. “Please don’t go. Around Camille - if you act like something bothers you, she just does it _more.”_

“Oh, like kissing you?” Alec sneers.

“She smelled you on me,” Magnus replies. Alec looks away at that, a faint blush rising to his cheeks. “And in the loft. I imagine the whole place reeked of us, to a vampire’s nose.”

Alec scowls. Magnus wonders if he’s thinking about what they were doing on the carpet in front of the fireplace not two nights ago. “What does that have to do with-”

“Camille’s favorite form of entertainment is meddling in other people’s lives,” Magnus explains. “She smelled the loft, heard you approaching, put two and two together, and applied the quickest method of making everyone in the vicinity upset.”

Alec deflates a little. “So you weren’t - she was just messing with us?”

“Yes,” says Magnus. “And I didn’t do a stellar job of acting unbothered, but _please_ believe me that if I acted as upset as I felt, the situation could have gotten much, much worse.” Alec looks at him, his face still pinched with distrust. Magnus sinks even lower, if that’s possible. “Alec, do you honestly think I was voluntarily kissing someone else the day after I _begged_ you to call off your wedding? I know we haven’t had time to establish boundaries or anything like that, but-”

“With anyone else, probably not, but she’s your ex,” says Alec, shifting uncomfortably. “There’s always gonna be something there. I’ve seen how Izzy acts around her ex.”

“There will always be _history._ And yes, I did once love her, but I was unhappy every moment I was forced to spent in her company today.”

Alec still looks upset.

“I’m sorry,” Magnus tries desperately. “For how I acted after the fact. I thought if I played it off as something that - that didn’t affect me one way or the other, it would be best for everyone.”

Alec snorts. “Now I know how you felt seeing me with Lydia.”

“So we’re even?” Magnus asks, perking up. “Well, at least on the ‘loveless and unwanted physical contact with others’ front?”

That puts a smile on Alec’s face, even though his eyebrows stay drawn together. Alec sighs, runs a hand through his hair, and says, “Considering we haven’t even gone on a single date yet, I normally wouldn’t trust you, but you _did_ just crash my wedding and risk humiliating yourself in front of a bunch of people you hate, so.”

Magnus grins. _“And_ I can _still_ feel you inside me from two days ago. I couldn’t betray you like th-”

“Jesus _Christ.”_ Alec covers his face with his hands.

“Speaking of that ever-elusive first date, though, how about right now?” asks Magnus, daring to feel hopeful. The tense air in the room has finally lifted. “I can’t remember the last time I ate, and we still have lots to talk about.”

“It’s way after midnight,” Alec says, peeking at the clock through his fingers. “What places are open at this point?”

Magnus sighs. “Sadly, not my favorite Ethiopian place. However, there is a Thai place just around the corner from here that’s open until 4 am.”

“They wouldn’t find it weird that we’re talking about magic, and… and the shadow world?” asks Alec.

“Please,” Magnus snorts. “They don’t care. Most of them would assume we’re talking about a fantasy world.”

He cocks his head and stares at Alec, watches the muscles of his face subtly work under his skin. Alec does have _very_ nice bone structure, although Magnus already knew that. “I _am_ hungry.”

“As am I,” Magnus grins. “Come, Alexander. Unless you’d rather we order in?”

“No, let’s, uh - let’s go there,” Alec says quickly. “We still have to talk about stuff and it’s - um - it’s hard to talk. Here.”

Magnus smirks. “That it is.”

That’s how they end up at Royal Thai, only a block away from Magnus’ loft. Since moving here, Magnus has befriended the owner, Chaow, who works at the restaurant six nights a week. Chaow’s the one who greets them when they enter, and the one who seats them in his decently packed restaurant.

_“How have you been, Magnus? And who is this you’ve brought with you?”_

Of course, the real reason they’ve become so close so quickly is because Magnus speaks fluent Thai, so he answers in the same language. _“This is my friend Alec. I’ve been well, but busy.”_

Chaow smiles. _“Busy with Alec?”_

 _“Busy winning Alec over,”_ Magnus smiles. _“He’s an extremely tough sell.”_

 _“He looks sold to me,”_ says Chaow. _“Drinks are on the house, what would you like?”_

 _“We’ll both have tequila sunrises,”_ Magnus says. _“You’re too good to me, my friend.”_

Chaow nods, patting Magnus on the shoulder before turning around and disappearing behind the bar.

“I ordered drinks for us,” Magnus tells Alec, who’s sitting across the booth from him. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Nah, I wouldn’t know what to order myself anyway,” says Alec. He smiles at Magnus, looking up from beneath his eyelashes. Magnus is hooked. “Do I get to look at the menu or are you ordering from that too?”

Magnus laughs. “You’re welcome to look, but it’s in Thai.”

Alec grabs at the menu and scans over it. “All of it?”

“They have an English version, if you want me to request it,” Magnus teases him.

“Oh my god, don’t do that,” Alec says quickly. “Just, uh. Order whatever you think I’d like.”

“Well I don’t _know_ what you like, sweetheart, this is our first date,” Magnus grins.

Alec laughs, looking back at the menu and then shrugging. “Then maybe… like, a sampler? Or a couple things? I’ve never had Thai food before.”

“Right, shadowhunters are mostly vegetarian and decidedly unadventurous.”

Magnus quickly decides on a couple of appetizers and several more entrees, even as his and Alec’s hands intertwine across the table. It feels like a proper date, which almost lets him forget the fact that they still have a lot to talk about.

But after Chaow brings their drinks and Magnus gives him their food orders, there’s nothing standing in the way of the conversation they absolutely need to have.

Magnus decides to start it off. “So, we’ve talked a decent amount about Camille, so that’s out of the way-”

“It’s out of the way of _us,_ but I don’t think she’s, like, a non-issue anymore,” says Alec.

“Right,” says Magnus. “Well, she’s less of an issue than _other_ things, anyway.”

Alec frowns and sips at his drink. “It sounds kind of stupid to say that I hadn’t even _thought_ about the fact that you’re immortal and I’m… not, before today. Like - I’d thought about the fact that we’re both guys and why _that’s_ frowned upon, also that you’re a downworlder and I’m a shadowhunter, but my brain hadn’t even had time to _touch_ on the fact that I’m mortal. Well, before Camille brought it up.”

“Again, stirring up trouble,” says Magnus. “Alec, listen - a lot of people, after they’ve been alive for many hundreds of years - they stop finding enjoyment in the simple things. You know, activities that people normally derive happiness from, even non-mundanes. After a certain point, self-improvement is either impossible or extremely unlikely, so immortals turn to other activities to have fun.”

He sips at his drink as Alec replies, “Even you?”

“Well,” says Magnus, “I’m not trying to preach, but there’s very likely a reason I haven’t found a long-term partner in an immortal. I’m not - um, interested in playing around with mortals’ lives. As a pastime. I just want - I just want. Other things.”

He wants to say _I just want someone who enjoys spending time with me,_ but gods _above_ that sounds far too desperate for a first date.

“Okay, so let’s say I’m over the fact that Camille still exists and likes fucking up your life as a fun hobby,” says Alec, taking another sip of his drink. “Besides that, there’s _still_ the fact that I’m gonna - age. Maybe start balding in twenty years. And you... won’t. I’m not gonna - I don’t want to get _older_ in _front_ of you, Jesus. That’s just… embarrassing.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I just don’t know if a relationship with someone who’s _so_ different from me is… a good thing for me to have. At least right now. I’ve never even had a boyfriend, never even had _anyone,_ Magnus, I don’t know how to do this-”

“There isn’t a formula, Alexander,” Magnus smiles. “There aren’t right or wrong ways to be with someone.”

Chaow chooses that time to bring their appetizers: salted and fried beef satay and tempura shrimp rolls. Magnus smiles at Alec, his mouth twisting coyly as Alec’s eyes widen upon seeing the delicious-smelling food. New York shadowhunter cuisine really pales in comparison to what the rest of the world has to offer.

Before they dig in, Magnus has to at least _attempt_ to finish their conversation, so once Chaow leaves, Magnus offers, “There isn’t… an easy solution to this, Alexander. You must know that.”

“Yeah, I know,” Alec sighs. “I wish there was.”

“But perhaps you can agree to a temporary truce,” says Magnus. “If this is your first relationship, I’m obliged to inform you that not everything lasts forever.” He grabs a shrimp roll and dips it in the chili sauce. “And, unfortunately, I can’t guarantee that ours will be any different. But can we at least agree that taking it a day at a time is better than calling the whole thing off because of what _might_ happen?”

“Is that what this is?” Alec asks, still eyeing the shrimp warily. “A relationship?”

Magnus smiles. “That’s… a mutual decision.”

Alec raises an eyebrow. “I wouldn't know what to do.”

“Well, everyone has to start somewhere,” Magnus says airily. He takes a small bite of the shrimp roll and sighs happily. “There isn’t a formula for a relationship just as there isn’t a right way to be with someone. They’re two sides of the same coin, really.”

Alec finally grabs a shrimp roll, observing it with a slight frown on his face. “So you’re… you’re okay with saying we’re… together?”

Magnus laughs. _“More_ than okay, Alexander. Again, it doesn’t have to _define_ anything specific. It just signifies that we… we mean something to each other. I hope I’m not too bold in saying that.”

“No, that’s… that’s how I feel too,” says Alec, abandoning the shrimp in favor of a skewer of fried beef. He dips it in curry sauce and pops a bite into his mouth; chews and swallows, then says, “If you’re okay then I’m okay. Magnus, I just - god, it sounds stupid now. Just. If you’re - it’s just important that you feel okay to, like, be yourself around me. Not any of that false bravado stuff. I wanna get to know _you._ ”

Magnus sighs. “You might not like what you see.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll like the real you more than I like you when you’re over-the-top,” says Alec, their eyes meeting for the first time in a while. “It’s not that I don’t like it - I, I really, _really_ like that - sometimes. Other times it just makes me feel a little small. Like you don’t trust me.”

“I mean… if you’re sure you’ll like the ‘real me’ better than what I normally present, you’re welcome to that side of me,” Magnus says, perhaps a little desperately.

“Well.” Alec blushes, looking up at the ceiling. “I think I’ve, um, seen the real you before. And I... liked it. Unless you hide yourself away even during - even in bed.”

Magnus grins, biting his lower lip at the flush on Alec’s cheeks. “Mmm, now that is one instance where I am definitely, one hundred percent myself.”

“Then I - you already know I like that,” Alec forces out, still looking at the ceiling. Magnus is _delighted._ His shadowhunter is so sweet. “So I’m pretty sure I’ll like… the rest of you. Seriously.”

Warmth spreads through Magnus’ body, a bubbling kind of happiness that he’s unaccustomed to. He shifts a bit and pops another shrimp roll into his mouth. _“Well,_ then can we agree to take it a day at a time? Neither of us deserves to deny ourselves happiness, Alexander. As long as you think this will bring you happiness, that is.”

“I think it will,” Alec says, looking up at him shyly. “I told you, this is - this is brand new territory for me. But it’s new in a good way and I like how it feels, so. Fuck it.”

“That’s what everyone loves to hear,” Magnus laughs, raising his drink in a mock salute. “Fuck it, let’s go for the warlock.”

“Magnus, that’s not what I meant,” laughs Alec, looking nervous. “Seriously - I really like it. I like you. A lot. So I want to see where this goes.”

Magnus smiles at the honest admission. Alec’s face is so beautiful - well, it’s _always_ beautiful, but it’s especially beautiful when he’s being open and candid. “I’ll drink to that.”

They clink glasses and both sip at their tequila sunrises, and Magnus can’t help that his lips are curved upward even as he drinks.

Eventually they finish their appetizers - Alec _does_ try a shrimp roll and enjoys it, but at that point Magnus has already eaten the rest of them, so he promises to buy another order of them on their next date. It still takes a bit of time for him to wrap his head around the fact that there _will be_ a next date. Even mere months ago he couldn't imagine a single shadowhunter going even a bit astray from their own absolute laws, now here he is hoping beyond hope for a second _date_ with one. Christ.

They finish their appetizers before the kitchen finishes preparing their entrees, pineapple coconut curry and chicken pad Thai. Because they have a bit of time to themselves, Magnus shifts over to Alec’s side of the booth, smiles on both of their faces as they press close and flirt shyly.

“So, how many languages are you fluent in, exactly?” Alec asks after a bit.

“Hmm, the exact count escapes me, but my best guess would be around twenty,” Magnus grins. “In addition to having lots of time, warlock memories are apparently very advanced compared to most other beings, so I kind of started with an advantage.”

Alex raises his eyebrows.

“Do they still speak Latin in Idris?” asks Magnus.

“Nah,” Alec replies. “Well, some of the elders do sometimes, but mostly everybody speaks in English. My parents had me learn some when I was little but I can barely remember any of it by now.”

Chaow pops over to ask if they'd like refills on their drinks.

 _“Best to just leave it at one, please,”_ Magnus tells him. _“But my compliments to the bar as always. That liquor license was a fantastic investment.”_

“I told him we didn't want more drinks,” Magnus says to Alec. “But I can always call him back if you'd like more.”

Alex shrugs. “I'm good, especially if you're not having another. What was the first language you learned?”

Magnus runs a hand through Alec’s fringe fondly. “The language I heard growing up was Javanese - I'm not sure if it's still called that, actually - so that was the first one I spoke, but most people in the East Indies used a common language called Malay to converse, so after I left home I never really used Javanese again.”

Alec blinks slowly, leaning into Magnus’ touch. His eyes get soft as he listens to Magnus speak, for some reason, and then he says, “And here I am - never even been out of the country. Unless you count Idris.”

“Idris doesn't count,” Magnus scoffs. “And I didn't _technically_ leave my home country until I was twenty, either, but that's because it - it's called Indonesia now - Indonesia has well over ten thousand islands one can visit without ‘leaving the country.’”

Alec raises his eyebrows, looking equal parts surprised and intrigued - Magnus is prepared to pull out more trivia and stories about his home country, but then their food arrives and he realizes how close the two of them are. He pulls back, dropping his hand from Alec’s hair as Chaow gives him a radiant smile and leaves without a word.

Instead of talking about Indonesia, then, Magnus tells Alec about his first time in Thailand as they grab chopsticks and prepare to dig in to their food. It's only fitting.

“...and Bangkok will always hold a special place in my heart, because it was the first trip I took for pleasure.”

“You mean a vacation?” Alec asks. He looks appraisingly at Magnus. “Or are you talking about a sex thing?”

Magnus giggles. “Don't be _silly,_ Alexander, of course I'm talking about a vacation. I was just trying to differentiate between trips for my job - for clients - and trips that I took just because I wanted to.” He smirks, then lowers his voice. “An _entire_ vacation devoted to sex, honestly. Gives new meaning to the term wanderlust.”

Alec nearly chokes on a mouthful of rice. “Oh my god, just forget I even asked.”

“In your defense, a sex vacation to Bangkok would probably be very enjoyable,” Magnus reasons. “Surely a fantastic way to pop your international cherry.”

 _“Magnus,”_ Alec hisses, his face bright red. He's fighting down a smile, though, so Magnus counts it as a win.

In an effort not to dwell on how thoroughly filthy a sexy vacation to Bangkok would be with the delicious boy sitting next to him, Magnus asks, “How do you like the food?”

By the time they've finished their meals, Magnus and Alec have moved so close that Magnus is practically sitting in his lap. It turns out that Alec has a hard time with chopsticks if the food he's picking up isn't stuck together (like plain rice), so Magnus volunteers to teach him and then completely abandons that notion in favor of feeding him off of his own chopsticks.

“I'm not a baby,” Alec mumbles, a pleased little smile on his face. “I would've figured it out eventually.”

“Right, after you gave up and resorted to using your hands.”

Alec laughs and tips his forehead gently against Magnus’. He looks relaxed and happy, unbothered by being so close in Magnus’ space even in public, and Magnus wonders if this whole thing has possibly been a fever dream brought on by too much alcohol. “Do they have anything for dessert here? I bet I can eat that using my hands. Unless that would, like, offend the cooks or the owner or something.”

Magnus giggles. “The only dessert they serve here is fresh fruit laid over coconut sticky rice. Chaow would look at you funny if you _did_ use chopsticks, Alexander.”

A different server comes to clear their plates, and Magnus puts in a request for dessert. He wonders what fruit it’s going to be - Chaow usually serves whatever’s freshest that day.

It turns out to be mango, which Alec is very happy about. As soon as Chaow leaves, Alec picks up a piece of mango with his hand and pops it whole into his own mouth. He gives Magnus a little smile when Magnus does the same.

 

Then Alec picks up some of the sticky rice; Magnus giggles, then tries to bat Alec’s hand away when he realizes Alec intends to hand-feed _him_. “I'm not going to - Alex _ander -_ stop it-”

Alec’s laugh is such a happy sound that Magnus gives up struggling immediately, choosing instead to lick the sweet rice off Alec’s fingers and watch the younger man’s eyes go unexpectedly dark. Hopefully they aren’t making too much of a spectacle out of themselves in front of the other patrons, but Magnus honestly can’t be fucked to care right now.

“This is fun,” Alec says after a moment, his eyes still on Magnus’ lips. “Are dates always this much fun?”

Magnus snags another piece of mango and chews it thoughtfully, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “It depends on who they’re with.”

Alec swallows and licks his lips, pink and soft and inviting, and Magnus can’t help but close the short distance between them and press their mouths together in a soft, sweet kiss. His heart is beating very fast; he didn’t think he would be allowed to have this again.

“Fun enough to do it again?” he whispers against Alec’s lips, feeling slightly desperate - but he has to know. He _has_ to.

He feels Alec nod; Magnus opens his eyes to watch Alec pull back. He has this startled look on his face, not quite a smile, the same way he looked when Magnus stormed into his wedding. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm,” Alec breathes, then kisses him again.

Magnus sighs happily and pulls Alec closer, shivering when Alec grips his waist. “A day at a time?”

“A day at a time,” Alec agrees. It feels like he finally lets his guard down fully at that, relaxing into Magnus’ mouth as his nose presses against Magnus’ cheek.

The kiss gets deeper after only a few seconds, and when Alec’s tongue pushes against his lips, Magnus’ eyes pop open in very pleased surprise. But there are certain things that innocent customers of late-night restaurants should not be privy to, even though it pains Magnus’ inner exhibitionist to admit it.

“Alexander,” he murmurs quietly. Alec chases his lips when he tries to pull back, causing a tendril of heat to curl in Magnus’ belly. “We should either finish dessert here or finish other things elsewhere, don't you think?”

Alec scoots back a little and runs a hand through his dark hair. “I - um. It's not that dessert isn't good, but-”

Magnus smirks. “Oh, darling, I don't think Chaow will be offended. Come on.”

He throws a hundred-dollar bill onto the table, way more than enough to cover their meal, and takes Alec by the hand and practically drags him out of the restaurant. Magnus gives Chaow a little apologetic wave; the other man just shakes his head fondly at him and waves him away.

It's less than a block back to Magnus’ loft but it feels like an eternity, and this is coming from someone who's been alive for multiple centuries. Alec keeps nosing at his neck and kissing his throat, Magnus keeps standing on his tiptoes and dragging Alec up to kiss him some more, and neither of them are very good at moving in a single direction together. Magnus doesn't mind, though, especially because Alec keeps making these soft noises against his lips that remind him of their first time together.

Through sheer force of will and perhaps a few sneaky spells that make physics less of a problem for them, the two of them make their way up to Magnus’ loft. As soon as the door closes Magnus pushes Alec against it and sucks on his throat in several spots before biting down hard on his pulse point; his whole body shivers at the gasp he pulls from the younger man.

“Magnus,” Alec groans, hands sliding up and down Magnus’ back.

A bruise is already forming by the time Magnus kisses up Alec’s jawline then claims his mouth again. He’s insistent as he presses forward, slipping a thigh between Alec’s legs and grinding up against him - it feels so good he forgets to breathe for a second, and Alec’s grip on him tightens before he uses it to spin them both around.

Magnus suddenly finds himself pressed against his front door and he stares up into Alec’s eyes, stomach fluttering at the molten heat he finds there. Then Alec kisses him so hard that his head knocks back against the door a little bit and, _gods,_ it’s intense - Magnus arches up against him and lets his moans be swallowed by Alec’s hungry mouth.

He tugs at the hem of Alec’s shirt, impatient, and Alec staggers back quickly to pull it over his head. “Yeah - let me just-”

Magnus smiles, wraps both arms around his neck and tugs him back into another kiss. Alec’s fingers are working clumsily at his tunic; Magnus can feel him trying to navigate the combination of laces and buttons, and he chuckles against Alec’s mouth.

Alec keeps getting distracted, hands faltering when Magnus sucks on his tongue, but Magnus doesn’t mind at all as long as they never stop kissing.

“Why do you have, like - a hundred different buttons - keeping this thing on you?” Alec mutters, sounding put out.

Magnus laughs and runs a hand through Alec’s hair fondly. “That’s _quite_ an exaggeration, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, well, it’s really complicated,” Alec complains. He finally looks between them and swears, and Magnus looks down too to see that Alec’s managed to get the laces all tangled up. “Fuck.”

Magnus snaps his fingers and his tunic vanishes, banished to his bedroom. Alec whimpers lowly and runs his hands up and down Magnus’ sides, while Magnus drops his hands to Alec’s ass and tugs him closer until there isn’t any space between them.

When they kiss again, Magnus gets to feel the warm press of Alec’s bare skin against his, and it’s just as addicting as it was last time. He wants to be even _closer,_ wants to wrap his entire body around Alec’s and never let him go, especially when he sucks on Alec’s tongue and wrenches a desperate moan out of the younger man that goes straight to his cock.

“Alexander,” Magnus murmurs against his lips, “do you remember when I told you I wanted to climb you like a tree when I first met you?”

Alec rolls his hips forward once and tightens his hands on Magnus’ hips. “I don’t think those were the - exact words you used but-”

He gives a little shout of surprise when Magnus hops up and wraps his legs around his waist, but his quick reflexes evidently kick in and he drops one hand to grab Magnus’ ass and support him. Magnus hisses happily and tightens his thighs, drawing Alec even closer as their cocks rub together through several annoying layers of fabric.

“Oh god,” Alec groans, thrusting his hips forward like he can’t help it.

Magnus wants him so badly that it’s starting to physically ache every second that Alec’s not inside him, especially when Alec drops his head down and starts mouthing at his shoulder, dragging hot lips over his skin. He whimpers and squirms against Alec’s body - many things about this position are delicious, but he doesn’t have any leverage.

Alec drops his other hand down to Magnus’ ass and squeezes, teeth scraping over his shoulder, and Magnus groans and reaches in between them, intent on getting Alec’s cock out before both of them explode.

“I have a very important job for you, Alexander,” he says, trying to keep his voice level.

“Hmm?” Alec asks, leaning up to look at him. His eyes are bright, pupils blown, lips swollen and the most obscene shade of pink Magnus has ever seen.

He undoes the button on Alec’s pants. “I need you to fuck me on every possible surface in my loft until the entire place smells like us again.”

Alec sucks in a sharp breath and his fingers tighten on Magnus’ ass. Magnus _knows_ he’s recalling their conversation earlier, when Magnus told them that Camille likely smelled them in the loft. “That’s - I - _Magnus.”_

Magnus slides his zipper down, slowly. He watches as Alec blushes and it spreads all the way down to his chest. “Well?”

“I’ll do my best,” Alec says sincerely, and kisses him again.

Magnus feels out the shape of him through his jeans and Alec bites his bottom lip, his entire body tensing when Magnus reaches inside his pants to palm him through his boxers. Magnus’ stomach twists at the heat he finds there, and he desperately tries to get inside Alec’s boxers too, feeling out of control in the best way.

Alec quivers when Magnus wraps a hand around him, bare skin on bare skin, and his knees start to tremble when Magnus gives him one languid stroke up and down.

“Oh god…”

He’s panting against Magnus’ chin now, little puffs of air as he starts to rock his hips up into Magnus’ fist. Magnus kisses him on the cheek and tightens his grip, twisting his wrist and grinning when Alec gets even harder. Alec digs his fingers into Magnus’ ass and moans, leaning more of his weight on Magnus and the door, and Magnus realizes a second later it’s because getting jerked off like this is literally making Alec’s knees weak.

 _Gods,_ his angel is perfect. He swipes his thumb over the head of Alec’s cock, unable to help himself.

A second later Magnus’ suspicions are confirmed as Alec’s knees start to buckle, and he’s quick to summon several soft throw pillows from his living room for Alec to land on, still clutching him against the door as they slide halfway to the ground. Alec doesn’t even seem to notice that landing on his knees didn’t hurt nearly as much as it should have, just rolls his hips again and mouths greedily at Magnus’ throat.

“Fuck,” Magnus breathes, his own cock twitching as wetness seeps over his thumb. He strokes up and down a few more times, trying to secure his grip on Alec’s hips with his legs.

“Gods, don’t stop,” Alec groans against his neck.

His voice is deep and rough; heat pours over Magnus’ body and slides languidly down his spine. “I don’t want to stop, darling, but I don’t want to end this too soon either.”

Alec huffs out a laugh against his neck. “I have that stamina rune now.”

 _“Really,”_ Magnus arches an eyebrow, delighted. “Some day I’m truly going to test its limits, I hope you know that.”

Alec shivers and his cock blurts out more precome. “That’s - totally fine.”

He leans back up and kisses Magnus again, truly filthy this time. As much as he seems to be overwhelmed by everything Magnus does, Alec is completely in his element like this - Magnus wonders how Alec went through life until now without admitting that he was _made_ to kiss boys.

Christ, Magnus wants him _so_ badly. He gives his cock a little squeeze, insistent, and Alec leans more of his weight on him.

“What do you want, Alexander?” Magnus asks him.

Last time Magnus had to fight tooth and nail to get any sort of admission from the younger man, but things have apparently changed. A lot.

“Wanna fuck you,” Alec mumbles against Magnus’ lips, voice so quiet Magnus almost misses it. “Please - please.”

Magnus groans and nibbles on his lower lip, stroking the hair at the base of his neck. “Shall we - _nnh -_ take this to my bedroom, then?”

Alec shakes his head, body still trembling. “No, that’s too - I don’t wanna wait.”

_Oh._

_“Sweetheart.”_ Magnus tugs on his hair a little, surprised and pleased and hopelessly turned on. “You’re saying you want me - right up against my front door?”

Alec nips at his mouth as they pant against each other. Magnus is about to make some sort of backdoor pun but he isn’t expecting Alec to nod and grab one of his thighs, shoving him even closer to the door.

Magnus whimpers and scratches over Alec’s shoulder, trying to keep his head on properly. “Impatient little angel.”

“Magnus-” Alec gasps, whatever he was about to say dying in his throat when Magnus snaps his fingers and rids them of the rest of their clothes.

He also takes the opportunity to slick himself up with lube from his bedroom for good measure, but that’s not immediately apparent to Alec until the younger man shifts Magnus in his arms so he can work a hand between them and brush one fingertip over Magnus’ hole.

“Oh, you already - oh god-” Alec groans, clearly overwhelmed as he stares in between their bodies.

Magnus smirks and lifts one of his legs up to rest on Alec’s shoulder, sighing wantonly as it brings them even closer. “Are you still going to insist on fingering me this time?”

Alec shakes his head. The brown of his eyes isn’t visible at all anymore, swallowed up by his pupils as he leans in to tuck his face against Magnus’ shoulder, letting out a shivery breath against his shoulder. He’s still shaking.

“I want you so bad, I just - I need-”

Magnus’ cock twitches against his belly and he hugs Alec close. “You have me, darling. Come here.”

He lifts his hips up as much as he can, heart rabbiting in his chest as Alec takes a deep breath and rubs over his entrance again, fingers curious. His cock is _so close_ to where Magnus wants it; Magnus strokes him once more before guiding him gently between his legs.

Alec sobs against his shoulder when the head of his cock presses against Magnus’ hole, keeping one hand under Magnus’ ass while he braces the other against the door. Magnus’ leg is still on his shoulder on that side, so Magnus is able to relax down a little and take the tip of Alec’s cock inside. They both groan.

 _“Fuck,”_ Alec whimpers, finally leaning back up so he can use his hips to press in further. The tip of his tongue is trapped between his lips and he looks at Magnus wide-eyed, lashes fluttering as Magnus rocks down and takes him deeper. “Oh my _god,_ you’re so - tight around me-”

“Jesus,” Magnus breathes, not sure if Alec’s _trying_ to talk filthy or just being honest. Either way, he relishes the burn of Alec entering him - he wasn’t joking last time when he said he enjoys not being fully prepared. “That’s it, angel, I want all of you.”

_“Nnnh.”_

By the time Alec is fully inside, Magnus is folded up like a pretzel pressed against the door to his loft and his cock is leaking against his stomach. Alec is breathing hard, lips wet and inviting, so Magnus tugs him closer by his hair and pours all of his feelings into the other man’s mouth. He wiggles his hips a little, tearing an almost pained noise out of Alec, who grips his ass hard and rocks forward.

Alec readjusts his grip on Magnus then fucks forward again, and again, and _again_ , figuring out a rhythm - all Magnus can do is throw his head back and gasp out a breath every time Alec drives in. “Yes - _yes-”_

“Magnus,” Alec groans against his skin, sounding out of his mind.

It’s hard to focus on anything beside the exquisite slide of Alec in and out of his body, but Alec’s messy dark hair is in his face and it smells so good that Magnus buries his nose in it and tugs on it harshly every time Alec hits his prostate. It seems to encourage Alec to go faster, harder, and their bodies get slick with sweat - the angle’s so good that Magnus wonders if he might end up coming without touching himself at all.

Eventually Alec turns his head and pants against Magnus’ calf, face drawn in pleasure as he continues to roll his hips. “You feel - _so_ good, fuck.”

Alec’s dick is fucking the words right out of him and all Magnus can do is moan, sliding further down the wall to get him deeper. He unwinds one arm from Alec’s neck to rub over his own stomach, pleasure building and humming as he feels Alec move inside him. Something about _knowing_ they’re connected like this, that Magnus is taking all of him inside, has him really close to coming already.

Magnus can’t hear anything beyond the rasps of their breathing and the filthy sound the lube is making where they’re connected and that’s fine with him - he doesn’t care about anything besides Alec. He clenches around him and watches Alec’s eyebrows draw together, feels his hips stutter.

“So-” he tries- “I _don’t_ have a - stamina rune, and - _oh-_ ”

Alec’s eyes pop open and he bites his lip, looking at Magnus like he wants to devour him. “Are you gonna come?”

Magnus nods quickly, heat throbbing in his balls. Alec swears and kisses him soundly, moving his hips even faster. _Such a good little angel,_ Magnus thinks, rapture building inside him.

He runs his hands down Alec’s back, clawing at every inch of rune-scarred skin he can reach, and relishes in the feeling of his own back scraping against the door; Alec shifts closer and Magnus’ cock starts to rub between their stomachs, dribbling precome and ready to burst. He pushes his tongue against Alec’s lips and licks into his mouth, moaning as the pressure builds every time Alec’s cock nudges against his prostate.

“I can - fuck you through it now,” Alec mumbles, sounding proud of himself. If Magnus wasn’t out of his mind he’d probably laugh at the younger man’s eagerness. “Can keep - going. Make you - come again.”

 _“Christ,”_ Magnus sobs, digging his nails into Alec’s shoulder. He can’t get over the fact that Alec’s a fucking natural at this yet _Magnus_ is the only one that’s ever had the privilege of - of seeing him like this-

He squeezes his eyes shut and clings to Alec as he feels himself start to fall over the edge, his body gripping Alec’s cock tightly as his own starts to spill between them. It rolls over him like a wave of electricity, shorting out all his nerves as he throws his head back and cries Alec’s name.

“Oh _gods,”_ Alec groans, and Magnus feels lips trail down his throat a second later. He stares unseeing at the ceiling and whimpers as his cock dribbles out more come, still untouched.

Alec fucks him through it, still moving even though Magnus’ body does its best to keep him fully inside, and when Magnus comes back to himself he notices that Alec is shaking from exertion.

“Are you close?” he asks, his voice hoarse.

Alec leans back and shakes his head, his lips bitten red. “I’ve never tried this rune out before, but I feel like I could go for a while longer.” He dips in to kiss Magnus slowly, then mumbles, “And you feel so good inside I - I wanna keep going forever.”

Magnus whines as he spasms weakly around Alec’s cock in an aftershock. “I don’t think I would survive, darling.”

Alec laughs, then takes his hand off the door and clutches the small of Magnus’ back instead.

“We should take this to the bedroom, then,” Magnus decides. “It’s much more comfortable.”

There’s no way either of them are moving their legs right now, so Magnus conjures a portal right behind Alec and gently pushes him backward so they both fall through it, still intertwined. They land on Magnus’ king bed - Alec sighs happily as he sinks into the mattress and Magnus sighs happily as he sinks down on Alec.

“Alright, so this is surface number two,” Magnus tells him airily, finding his words after a good ten minutes of being fucked-stupid. “We still have a ways to go.”

“We should make a checklist,” Alec grins, hands moving to Magnus’ hips as Magnus starts to ride him, slowly. _“Mmnn.”_

Magnus leans down to kiss him, working his hips faster. “And I have so many positions to show you, Alexander. If there’s going to be a list…”

“Just like - fuck - sex positions?” Alec asks, gasping against his lips when Magnus grinds down and circles his hips. “How many can there be?”

“Oh, trust me, we could take a two-week sex vacation to Bangkok and not even get through all of them,” Magnus chuckles, leaning down to suck a quick bruise on the hollow of Alec’s throat. He feels less out of control now, more capable and secure. Not that coming his brains out against the front door wasn’t thoroughly enjoyable. “And there are all different kinds of _acts,_ as well - _yes,_ right there - so many different ways we can - use our mouths-”

“Oh my god,” Alec groans, clutching Magnus’ waist tightly. “Magnus - _please.”_

Magnus leans back up, even though Alec chases his lips, and starts riding him in earnest, moaning when their skin starts to slap together. He runs his hands down Alec’s chest appreciatively, stopping to tweak his sensitive nipples just to enjoy the way Alec arches his back and cries out hoarsely.

Alec’s eyes are locked on the place their bodies are joined, teeth sunk into his own lip - Magnus can only imagine how that must look, Alec’s thick cock splitting him open, and that gives him a delicious idea. He sighs and lifts off of the younger man - he tries to ignore how _empty_ he feels, turning around on shaky legs before settling back down on Alec’s dick and moaning happily.

He hears Alec groan behind him.

“I imagine this is quite the view,” Magnus says cheekily, his voice coming out more breathy than he would’ve liked. He rocks up and down once and watches Alec’s toes curl into the sheets.

“Magnus,” Alec whines, hands all over Magnus’ body for a few seconds before settling on the tops of his thighs, right where they meet his hips.

His hands are big and Magnus feels deliciously claimed; to show his appreciation, he starts riding Alec quickly until he’s back at the same pace he had before.

“Oh fuck, _fuck,_ Magnus, _god.”_

“You are - _so delicious,”_ Magnus groans, tossing his head back and shivering when Alec’s cock hits his prostate dead-on.

He’s still hard, never got soft after his first orgasm, and the way he’s working Alec’s dick makes him feel like his second one isn’t that far away. _Gods,_ but he feels so _amazing._

“You see how deep I’m taking you?” he murmurs, gut twisting when Alec’s nails dig into his skin. “I’m all yours, angel.”

Alec whimpers, and Magnus watches his thighs tense. A few seconds later he mumbles, “Mine,” so quietly Magnus almost misses it. Like he didn’t necessarily want Magnus to hear it.

Warmth bursts in Magnus’ tummy and he swivels his hips, delighted. _“All_ yours.”

“Mmnn,” Alec whines. “Promise?”

“Promise,” Magnus sighs, flicking hair out of his face and grinding down greedily.

“Wanna be - yours, too,” Alec says, quiet again.

Magnus nearly sobs with happiness. “Alexander-”

“Please,” Alec begs. He sounds like he’s starting to unravel. Magnus turns around so he can see his face, look into his doe eyes.

“Oh, you _are_ mine, angel,” he purrs, trying to keep his voice level and completely failing. “And _this -_ this is mine too, I fucking _love_ you like this-”

“Magnus, oh _fuck,”_ Alec bites out, “I’m getting - I’m getting close-”

Magnus grins, sliding off of him and turning around so he can kiss him again. Alec makes a confused noise against his lips, like he’s happy to be kissing him but very unhappy to not be inside him. Magnus only lingers for a moment before getting on his hands and knees, smirking over at the younger man.

“Then get over here and fuck me, Alexander,” he murmurs. “I want you to come inside me.”

“Magnus, Jesus _Christ,”_ says Alec, scrambling up. He’s covered in sweat and his cock bobs in front of him, inviting.

Magnus drops his head to the sheets and moans when Alec slides inside him, filling him up again, and he arches into Alec’s touch when a hand slides down his back and Alec starts to fuck him hard, barely getting into a rhythm like he’s about to come. He nearly sobs when Alec leans over him and kisses the back of his neck, lips sloppy as he stays in deep and rocks his hips over and over.

“Magnus, I’m gonna - oh fuck, I can’t stop it-”

 _“Yes,”_ Magnus hisses, getting a hand around himself and stripping his cock almost painfully fast. “Mine, my angel, come inside me-”

Alec cries out loudly and his hips jerk, nearly shoving Magnus into the mattress as he bites down on the back of his neck and starts to come. Magnus follows him seconds later and bites his lip as warmth spreads inside him, come dripping from his cock down onto the sheets.

They’re breathing hard as they come down together; ten seconds later, Alec pulls out and flops down next to him. Magnus rolls to face him and presses a kiss to his forehead. He tries not to feel too smug when he sees that Alec's neck is covered in love bites.

“When I can move again I should probably get back to the Institute,” Alec says after a while.

Magnus sighs, disappointment threatening to cut through the warmth and happiness that’s settled over him. He wonders if Alec meant what he said during sex, that he wanted to be Magnus’. _Yours._ Because - because Magnus certainly meant it.

“Well, you probably shouldn’t try to move for a while, then,” Magnus tells him, slinging a leg possessively over him and snuggling close.

Alec laughs. “I’m not going to.”

Magnus kisses him again then settles down as Alec drifts into a light doze, a smile on his beautiful face.

He runs a hand through Alec’s damp hair, cuddles closer. _A day at a time,_ he reminds himself. _A day at a time._

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought in the comments or on [tumblr](http://povverbottoms.tumblr.com)! Thanks for reading! :)


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